People always say, “work smart not hard”. This makes a lot of sense. Nobody wants to engage in backbreaking labor for no reason and without a positive outcome. It’s pointless. But what if you could do both? I think that’s possible in today’s world, if you use a specific way of framing your thinking.
Why framing your thinking matters
I can’t just teach you how to be smart. But I can teach you the basic habits and hobbies of smart people. I’ve met a decent amount of those. Framing your thinking properly gives you a way of going through life that allows you to come to important and interesting conclusions. Here’s how I frame my thinking, such that I work smarter.
Learn economics
The trick to economics is that once you truly understand economics, you’ll get pretty good at predicting the future. This requires really knowing economics. If you’re just listening to the pundits and following them blindly, you might as well throw in the towel.
Learn history
If you want to get ahead in life, one of the best ways is to know history. If you know a bit of history, you sound very knowledgable. Most people don’t remember much history in today’s age. Knowing history off the top of your head has social value, and it can help you make wiser decisions in the age of AI.
Learn geopolitics
This requires spending a lot of time reading the news and learning how governments work. Focus on the geopolitcs of your country and area first, then learn about what interests you. Learning geopolitics has the same value as learning history.
Learn how to do research
Learn the difference between a primary source and a secondary source. Learn how you can access them. Learn how to use search engines properly. Learn how to use both online and physical libraries. Knowing how to do research will unlock a new aspect of life.
Figure out where you want to live, and whether you can get a competitive advantage
People in poor countries are becoming relatively prosperous, it seems. As time goes on, they’re getting healthier and wealthier. They’re living longer and affording more and more of the luxuries that we once considered to be staples of the developed world. If you’re in the top 10% of earners globally nowadays, you should be able to live a good life. That means that it’s all about finding which country you like and making the top 10%. The advantage to poor countries is that you can make money online and there’s less competition. The disadvantage is that you will have to work a lot harder in order to get anywhere. The advantage to wealthy countries is that you can be mediocre and end up ahead of the global pack. The downside is that you’ll have to move in order to get the full benefits of your massive wealth.
Be motivated to hit your goals
You want to be creating a life that you actually want to live. One that you actually expect to lead to happiness. This will put wind in your sails, and make it easier for you to feel good about the work that you’re doing. Every positive result will motivate you, and challenges shouldn’t daunt you too much. Motivation is the key to everything. Motivation comes from interest and fear.
Do stuff that’s tried and true
Trying to reinvent the wheel is way too hard. Follow norms and win. Even if your industry gets decimated, you should find yourself ahead of the masses if you’re smart.
Make sure to be decent
It took me far too long to realize that being a good person mattered. But it does. If you’re a good person, you create good luck. Bad people often end up suffering.
If you want to beat the masses, you have to work both smart and hard. If you don’t do both, you don’t win. It’s really that simple. Most people are out of the game, but there’s someone out there who’s actually willing to execute. If you want to be the best, you also need to execute. I’m not the authority on everything, but the above was just my basic framework for positioning myself intelligently as I work.
Thanks for paying attention.
